Growing up

You know you've grown up when you think that your Ph.D. thesis isn't that bad after all.

But then, as my psychoanalyst friend Paul Ries says:

``Nobody ever grows up; there simply isn't time''.

Max Cresswell is also responsible for the only decent Philosopher-lightbulb joke. Over tea one morning in the department at Vic someone was saying that there ought to be a Philosopher lightbulb joke. The punch line of course would have to be ``It all depends what you mean by a light-bulb'' and when this point was made Max made as if to pick up a light-bulb and wave it in the air. ``Well'', he said ``what do I mean by a lightbulb?''...... thereby illustrating another bon mot of his:

``The difference between logicians and mathematicians is that logicians understand the use-mention distinction''.

Years ago, when we were Ph.D. students i mentioned this to Peter Kropholler and he said

``What is the use-mention distinction?''

co's he's a mathematician.

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